Alright. So let's get started. I wanna start by grounding us in, experience because leadership lessons aren't theoretical. They are learned through experience.So we're gonna start with a what we call a rapid fire question to each of you. You all have an opportunity to respond to this. What does leadership look for you right now in this moment of rapid change?

Can I go to parties? Go ahead. For me, leadership in especially in this chaotic world of AI, you just never know where things are going. Yep. Right? And so for us, I think it's really important that we are essentially seen as that steady shit that leads a the way as opposed to doing the squirrel thing where, you know, it's squirrel, squirrel, squirrel all the time. So, for for me, it's really about shining a light towards north north star and making sure that everyone is continuing that path forward. Yeah.

I couldn't agree more to what Beau just mentioned. I think culturally, we are definitely seeing that same level of chaos translating into our everyday lives at work and on the home front. And I think a lot of it stems from the fact back to what Anna mentioned at the start. Right? Cyber risks and AI, the the pace at which these innovations are taking place, it does lend itself to a very chaotic universe, and it can feel very dehumanizing. And I think that's where as women leaders, we can definitely make a massive impact, a sharp shift with our leadership style that's steeped in empathy and also that makes sure that the adoption of technology is also human centric. It should not be exclusive. It should not be, overlooking of certain demographic entities, but more inclusivity and more empathy. That's the mean of the hour in in my view.

Yeah. And we love what you just said, Vidya. And I wanna add another piece to this. It's it's empathy, but it's also allowing for sponsorship to those who are coming behind us. Because I think we are all responsible for bringing the leaders that will implement and lift through the change. The the ability of the change is so destabilizing for so many organizations and individuals. And I think having not only stability and party, but also sponsoring those who come into leadership is so important in the in the current environment. Thank you.

Thank you. So leadership right now for me is helping teams see the possibility instead of, the uncertainty. I think, Bo mentioned NVIDIA also. Right. So we're in a moment where AI and technology really is evolving so quickly, and it's it can be overwhelming. But I see it really as one of the most exciting moments to lead. Technology isn't here let's say AI isn't here to replace us. It's really here to amplify. And so it in this moment, I think we own the moment. Right? And and from a data and analytics perspective, AI is using in in a leadership role, it magnifies the the quality of the data and judgment we put into it. And so I think as we continue to move forward as leaders, and and and in my view, everybody's a leader.

So as we move forward as leaders, stay curious, grounded in, innovation and purpose, and, also see this as just as another opportunity. Like, we've been here before. Right? And so as I just a closing quote, I would say, is just think about leadership is, from in this area is about it's not about having all the answers. It's about helping people move forward with the confidence in the unknown.

Absolutely. Those are all very profound insights. I think it you know, AI is evolving so quickly. And, you know, the one thing we talk about is, do we have the ability to manage them? So it takes strong leadership, but I think being curious and helping people move forward with it is really the answer. Thank you all for that insight. Alright. We're gonna move to our first question. So our first question is for Beau. And, Beau, was there a moment where you realized that the traditional roles, the traditional rules were not designed for you? And what did you do next once you real had that recognition?

Well, I I think there's actually two instant, incidences in my life around this. There because I'm Korean and I was born in Korea, my parents are very traditionally Korean. And so they think that, you know, at my age, I should have children. I should be looking after the kids. I should be watching, you know, cleaning it in the the house and making dinner and, you know, that kind of a a traditional kind of housewife mentality. And I knew when I was probably a teenager that that was never gonna be something that I really wanted. And so I bucked that, but it took me a long time to get that acceptance and agreement from my parents to not view me as just a vessel by which children are born and, you know, for marriage and housework. And so that was one. And there was a lot of conversations around that.

But then at work, it was a slightly different conversation because what ends up happening is you, as you are progressing in your career, you know, you're you're opinionated. And and in some cases like me, I I can be quite opinionated. And so I am say stating things or saying things that men traditionally had the leading role in. Right? So ideas, strategy, vision, change, all of these things that you would consider ambition or drive for men Yeah. Typically didn't fall on women back when I started, you know, in in my career. And it's still kind of, you know, that way now. And I think that I I actually do have some great ideas to share, and I do have some good things to say.

And very similar to the way it was at home, it was a fight at work. But it's a it's much more subtle fight at work. Right? So you can't just come out guns blazing and boxing your way through, but you do have to very subtly say that was my idea. And I'm great I'm glad that I thought of it even though you were saying it and taking credit for it. Right? So there are challenges like this, I think, in both realms and probably resonates with a lot of women, but this is what happens. Like and and now there are many times where I'm literally the only woman in a, like, a a room full of men. I was on a call, like, last week where there was 70 people on the call, and I was the only female. Like, this happens all the time. Yeah.

Understood. Understood. You know, we all have those challenges where, you know, there's these expectations or standards, and, we have to shift our perspective sometimes to to, take ourselves forward. Vidya, what about you?

I've had some experience experiences. And, interestingly, because I come from a cyber resilience as a, know, as an industry Yeah. I would say it's predominantly a male dominated field. So for a woman, and a woman of Indian origin to even have a say in that space, which is traditionally viewed as a male centric. Oh, it's the man who gets to strategize. It's the man who gets to have a strong opinion about it. Trying to break into that space, I would say it wasn't easy. And also, the rules that were, that I was showcased for from a leadership stand standpoint expected a certain kind of allowed that I had to be for me to be seen. Even very similar to what Beau mentioned, I continue to be the only woman on calls.

I travel extensively, and I'm, again, the only person in the room, only woman in the room. So interestingly, what I started doing consciously is that if you want loud, you will not get any drama out of me. My leadership style, my presentation style is so stripped off of any kind of drama or any kind of emotional attachment or investment that automatically makes me invincible because I'm not reacting to anything. I'm not easily provocable. So what I also do very actively, and this was something that was provided as a very strong guidance from my mentor almost ten, twelve years ago. And he said, hey. Use silence as your weapon. When you go silent, people will take notice of that.

And that builds the value that you bring to the table versus, you know, chest thumping or table thumping or any kind of, emotional outburst. And believe it or not, ten ten, twelve years ago, I was still learning the ropes of this entire industry. And back then, yes, I was easy easy to be provoked, easy to elicit a reaction out of it. But over time, I just realized that silence is a strong weapon, and every I use it rather liberally every time I get insulted or questioned on my expertise. I have 20 in this field. At this point in time, I don't think I need to prove anything, to you at best. Right? But when I intentionally go silent, I've had men say, Vidya, your silence scares me. And that's a victory for me.

That's wonderful. That's wonderful. I'm glad that we've all figured out these strategies. I can remember. And you Vicky, you mentioned you had a male mentor, and I I did too as well. And, you know, I'm a I'm an extrovert, and I can speak very loud and very fast. And he said, Laurie, speak much more softly. You'll get a lot more attention that way because they're gonna lean forward to hear you. And so

Mhmm. There you go.

It was a great lesson for me. Wonderful. Thank you for that insight. Okay. We're gonna move to our next question, and this one is going to be for Latanya and Eva. So, Latanya, we'll start with you. Many women are told to be, be more visible. We're told that, you know, we need to be more visible. What actually creates credibility at senior levels, and what do you think might be overrated?

So visibility may open the door just being seen, but credibility is really what keeps you in the room. Yeah. And at this level, credibility comes from delivering value. And so the challenge is to, ensure that we're asking meaningful we're we're asking meaningful questions. We're solving the, the actual business problems. We're exercising judgment and helping others make better decisions. It's when we when people seek out your perspective and not just recognize your presence. And so relationships have really been foundational in my journey. Others have talked about mentorship, sponsorships. Those are important. And some of the biggest opportunities came from trust. Trusting trust that I built over time from people who saw my leadership and were willing to advocate for me. Anna mentioned it in her her her in the opening that raising your hand, taking on that complex, problem that others may have stepped back from, that's building credibility.

And then for me, what's overrated is, probably really that performative visibility. Kinda just what Vidya just said is not being the loudest person in the room, just speaking just to be heard or trying to be everywhere without substance. That's overrated. And senior leaders, executive leadership is looking for judgment, consistency, and impact. So visibility will get you noticed for sure, but credibility is when your voice carries weight even when you're not in the room.

Absolutely. Absolutely. Eva, your thoughts? Sure. Well, first of

all, this is an important question for women because we are often told you need to be visible. We don't see you. You need to be visible. And I and Latanya already said few, few important components. Visibility will get you noticed, but then to stay noticed, you really have to perform. You have to have the presence. And, also, use your authenticity to lead the way you are. So some of the things that I wanna briefly mention is it's establishing credibility is also knowing not only which project to pick up, but also knowing which project to shut down. Being that voice of reason saying, I am running a p and l. I am a maybe call center, so I need to be very much my resources out of the board decisions.

So that will be one way to be to be showing this. The other piece that for me is very important is also not only mentoring, but really sponsoring other talent that is coming behind. Because, again, we're gonna find ourselves in a way where we could we we will be lacking individuals in the who understand the models, who understand the data, who understand the, intention behind some of the analytics and some of the insights we are providing. So we have to identify the the those leaders, train them, and that's what also bring us up. Because if they perform well, if they go somewhere else, that's our credibility right there with the known across not only our organization, but across the industry and potentially, in other areas as well. For when it comes to the being overrated, I agree that making too much noise is not the best. And I think we are here continuously. Let's be on LinkedIn.

Let's post every single day. The issue is with this is you need to be intentional in what you're posting because you are trying to be the expert, and you're trying to be presented at the full leader. So while this is very important, just think about it, what you're posting out there. There's a lot of posts that are being scrutinized, and you wanna be leading and you wanna be standing out. And then finally, what I'm what I'm gonna say is don't worry about perfection. We are in AI world that can create perfection in every single email. Be who you are and and recognize that your difference, your authenticity, the way, you are thinking is what really sets you apart.

So stay the way you are and work on providing impact and to being intentional where you spend your time. So thank you.

Yeah. No. I think those are both great points. I think when you talk about, you know, visibility and Latanya said this, you know, visibility gets you noticed, but credibility, you know, keeps you in the room. Right? So it's about authenticity. It's about intentionality. Right? Thank you for that. That's wonderful. Alright. Our next question, and this again is going to be for Vitya and for Latanya. When bias shows up settling, how do you address it without losing momentum or political capital? And, Vitya, why don't we start with you?

Sure.

So when we say bias, bias is, there was someone who actually said it beautifully. Most of the biases as women that we run into is not a singular substantial entity. It is very subtle. How do you find something that is amorphous, that is, that doesn't have a concrete shape or form to it? So in my view, when when you start picking up signals on, the subtle bias that exists today at workplace or in your day to day life, that's a silent failure of a very complex system that has been perpetuated over centuries. Yeah. So definitely, it's not something that we would want to address it again by shouting. It requires, a very concerted focus, approach towards recalibration. These are things that need to be done on a, I would say, eye treated. It is extremely arduous process.

It doesn't, it is frustrating at best, but at the same time, it it needs to be done. Because I have a moral obligation, if if not for myself, but at least for my daughter who's next going to come into the workforce. She and her peers of, peer of women who will next take on the mantle with if I can make the workplace a lot more bearable and tolerable for them, I think that's a win in a lot of aspects. So the way I deal with, biases is I try to be as objective as possible. So I try questioning it, trying to get to the root cause of where you know, perhaps giving the person or the system the benefit of the doubt that there is something under there's an undercurrent that needs further evaluation. So precise questioning is the typical route. Again, I am a no drama person.

I try to keep myself detached as much as possible from me being the center of the, bias, viewpoint, but the whole point is not to get defensive. Because the moment you start getting defensive, you lose the battle right there. The idea is to chip away at what's actually causing the contamination of the bias pool in itself and making sure that I am able to bring back my relevance, my value to the table that is a lot more undeniable versus my background, my cultural history, or my gender that could be contaminating that viewpoint in itself.

Absolutely. So neutralizing the bias. I agree with you there. Latanya, your thoughts on that, please.

Yeah. I couldn't agree more, Vidya. I think you and I have a very similar, leadership style. I think biases definitely show up, you know, often show up very subtle, and it's not something that's obvious. Sometimes it's, you know, contextual, and sometimes it's wrapped in good intent. I've I've learned that the the most effective way to address that set of bias is not to confront it head on as as Vidya said, is to redirect the conversation toward outcomes and facts. This show up a lot in my feedback is that I'm very focused on okay. Factual base. What are the facts? You know? When I ask the question, what is the problem that we are actually trying to solve? What assumptions are we making?

And what data actually supports the direction or the the statement that's been made. That shift, for me, does two things. It removes that emotional charge, like, you know, takes the motion out of it. And as Lydia said, it recenters back to the business impact or what the impact that we're trying to make. I also like to pay close attention, like, when I see it, to the patterns because we definitely are creating, the environment for generations to come. So those who are just walking in the door and those to you know? My daughter is 21. So you know? And she will be in a workplace soon. So that is very important to me.

And then I think, finally, I I learned that, the political capital is preserved when bias is addressed strategically, and not reactively because remember, everything is based on relationships. And so how you handle the bias, it will have a impact in the future. So I say you lose power when you, when leadership stays kinda focused on the issue at hand, but redirect to outcomes, clarity, and that will kind of recenter. But pay attention to patterns for sure.

Yeah. Absolutely. And I I like what both of you said in terms of, you know, addressing the the the bias head on, but doing it strategically. Right? And do it without emotion. Right? So that we're not causing reaction by having a reaction. So fabulous. Thank you for that. Alright. The next question is for the entire panel. So I'm interested in hearing all of your thoughts on this. What does and we hear about this a lot. Right? Imposter syndrome. What does imposter syndrome look like at your level, and how has your relationship with it evolved? Who'd like to start?

I think imposter syndrome at my level is the same as it was twenty years ago, Yeah. To be totally honest. It's that feeling of fraud, the feeling like I'm not good enough, feeling like, what am I doing in this room? I shouldn't be here. I mean, that hasn't changed really other than I've learned different strategies to kinda mitigate that and show up differently. For me, it's kind of the same. And I'm I'm learning how to handle it better than I maybe did when I was younger. Mhmm.

Yeah. Oh, boy. I love that. I love that that you said, just learning different strategies for sure. It it's definitely the same, I think, tension around scope and expectation really is where it lands. Earlier in my career, it was, you know, more so, did I belong here? And now it's you know? And thinking, you know, this responsibility is big. Am am I given enough? Is is, do I know everything that I need to know? And technology and leadership both evolve, constantly. And the higher you go, the more you realize that no one is an expert at everything.

And no one is perfect.

That is no one is perfect. That's right. And we do that to ourselves a lot. Right? Yeah. And so that used to feel uncomfortable, but now the strategies really that I've developed is really, centering, focusing on, you know, paying attention to that and, you know, operating at the right level. I have a team for a reason, and they're have specializations in, their specific areas. And so, you know, leadership is is, dependent on me for presence, for judgment, for direction in moments when it's in and there's ambiguity. And so, I think that's how

a Yeah.

I couldn't agree more to what both, Beau and Latanya have mentioned. The same knot in the stomach kind of a feeling still exists, but I think over time, my relationship with that feeling has certainly evolved. Back then, you know, I used to be fraught with a lot of self doubt. Do I really belong in this room at this table? Oh my god. These people know so much more than me. But now back to what Latanya just mentioned, nobody is perfect. And I have actually found solace in that. Because nobody is perfect, I can of award myself a degree of imperfection too. Something that Eva mentioned as well. Right? We, as women, tend to fixate on perfectionism, on being perfect in everything that we deliver.

It's a good goal to have, but hyperfixating on that is going to lead to burnout. And when I look at our my male peers, the confidence with which they move about their day even with a fraction of the knowledge that, I hold is just mind boggling. That is brilliant. And I would say that has definitely lent itself in the way I treat my, imposter syndrome syndrome today. And I would I wouldn't say that it's completely gone, but I've definitely developed better strategies of dealing with it or handling it on a daily basis.

Agreed. Agreed. Sarah? Yes. Everyone pretty much said everything there is to say, but at the on the other thing I wanna add is the feeling will never go away. It just changes how we are thinking about it and what it means to us. So for me, it is the reframing. If I am feeling imposter syndrome, that means that I'm accomplishing something I have never done before, and it's really acknowledging that it's saying, not that I cannot do it. It's more it's more about I am learning how to do it. I am living it, and I am, taking this on and and recognizing there is really fear behind what we are doing versus our inability to succeed. I think that separation and and explanation changes how we are thinking about imposter syndrome.

And, ultimately, we realize that it's our friend in helping us shape where we are and then ultimately grow, through the journey that we're gonna be be headed on, whether it's in technology, in leadership, or even our personal lives.

Yeah. No. Agreed. I think it's important for us, you know, if some people don't have what would, will claim that they don't have imposter syndrome and they, and they may not, but for those of us that do, and I'm one of those people, it does help to, recognize it as a friend, right? It helps challenge us. It helps us channel our focus, and we become better, I think when, we just address it. So alright. We had a lot of great comments in the, chat. I think you can see those in there. A lot of people are agreeing and understanding what you're talking about there. Alright. So we're gonna move to, talking about power, influence, and AI leadership. So, Bo, what's a decision that you made, that you felt was risky at the time but materially changed the trajectory of your career?

One of the things that I did in my career was I moved out of product management and into developer relations. And the way that I made that switch in my career was it because it's kind of related, but not really. It was super risky because I was doing it in a company or an organization where the develop developers hated, basically, the product and hated the company. And they viewed it as, you know, an evil empire. But for me, that impossible challenge was really compelling to be able to say, I want to change the way that developers think about this organization that no one really likes or has heard of, if they have. And then, you know, trying to switch the perspective or influence about that, it was an an amazing opportunity that led me to, make different decisions about my career.

And so now here I am as, you know, back when I started, I was a director. Now I'm a VP several years later. And the trajectory of that decision has led me to this place that I am now. And it's given me perspective that I think I probably wouldn't have had. And even though it was super risky to say, yes. I'm gonna go and make that change even though no one was able to do that prior to, that thing, I think, is what builds, you know, character resilience. And I failed a bunch while I was doing that too. So I learned, like, a whole bunch of lessons along the way about what not to do. So, you know, these are all, like, valuable lessons that you learn while you're growing, and it helps to grow.

It it helps you to grow as a leader, as a as a person. You know?

Absolutely. We know that growth, off you know, that growth really does involve taking some risks.

So thank you for that. Eva, your thoughts? Yeah. That's a great question. And I'm gonna maybe instead of talking about what I did in my career, I'm gonna more think about the some of the tools or some of the the mind shift that helped me really to move forward and change my trajectory. Because it's one thing to be, always thinking of what I wanna be in the next step, what I wanna be in the next title, but it's also about the head. How do we reframe and, certain aspects of our career. First of all, the first piece that I wanna always say is you are not competing against anyone. There are so many opportunities that you can take that they they are boundless. So what it means is is we need to remove the competition and only realize that we are competing amongst ourselves, and that's the bigger comp the biggest competition we have, which is ourselves, ourselves and our minds.

So I think that shift allows you to tell there's plenty of opportunities. You just to get to choose, be intentional about your pathway, and you and you and you pursue it, and you stay resilient, consistent, and ultimately and and and never give up. And be okay with failure. We are not gonna fall down, and and have bruises. The other piece is for me to also now that I know there's plenty of opportunities, it's removing the piece that I feel like I have to be invited. We are always everywhere invited, and I think it's being, walking in, and doing what we feel like doing. Because very often, we women are waiting for the invitation. Oh, I wanna be invited to this room. But why not step into the room, create your own room, bring your own chair, stand in the corner.

We don't need to have that invitation. Right? We need to go in there and act like we belong there and already be in that mindset. And I think that big exchange for women is very difficult. It was very difficult for me. And you have to all realize that once you make this change, once you realize there's so many opportunities that you are not really competing against anyone but yourself, and then knowing that you don't need an invitation, you just need to step in there, that changes really your perspective.

It gives me it gives you the empowerment empowerment and gives you the permission to be in that room and stay in that room and make impact in that room. Thank you.

Absolutely. I love what you just said there. Let's not wait to be invited, right? Let's, let's bring what we have, get to the table, bring our own chair if we have to. But definitely, definitely, know that we deserve to be at the table. Wonderful. Perfect. Okay. So here's a question another question on leadership. So as AI reshapes how decisions are made, where does human leadership become more critical? And, Latonya, let's start with you.

Yeah. Sure. Yeah. So AI is gives us answers now. It everybody has probably done something to play around with it. Yeah. And but leadership is helps us ask better questions. And that's where my role really in in data and analytic analytics really shapes my perspective. Data sits at the center of AI. Every insight, every recommendation, every automated decision is only strong as strong as the data behind it. Right. And so that's why I think, data governance, privacy, security, responsible practices are aren't optional, really. Like, we can't we can't ignore the need to install guardrails. That's foundational. Yeah. Without that foundation, I think AI can move very fast. But will it move in the right direction question. And so human leadership becomes the compass. Right? We are responsible for the context, for empathy, for judgment.

Yeah.

AI can't can't is not it can't identify those patterns. Right? But, I think it doesn't under and it and it doesn't understand, people and culture and those long term consequences. And so that's where we sit. Right? Leadership is critical in helping the teams evolve in from execution, to insight and strategy and creativity, and inclusiveness. So an inclusive leader will, is more will be even more important, as we move forward to bring those diverse perspectives and help challenge, the assumptions that ensure that AI is used thoughtfully and most importantly, responsibly.

Absolutely. Absolutely. Eva, your thoughts on this?

Yeah. That's a that's a great question, and I agree with, Latanya that foundational components are non nonnegotiable in this in this era, and we have to do this. AI is moving, so, we have to have protections. But I also think about few pieces. First of all, is how human in the loop is coming in and what the judgment of a human loop is coming in and how do we execute it, how do we orchestrate that review. And I think it in today's era, it's very easy or very simple and, very quick for us to to forget that we are running AI models that might shift, that might change, might be drift, and might be drifting in data. And understanding of how a human in the loop comes in is very important. So, a, for me as a manager, I wanna think about it. How do I incentivize my leaders under me, my team members to make sure that they review what they need to review to make sure that we are not providing something, that may impact the quality of understanding the insights.

And, ultimately, I'm in health care. So it has a much stronger connotations, and outcomes if it's not properly executed. So making sure that we always have the the person, the analyst, the engineer doing it in a way that, supports the models and defines the models and understands the models versus just letting it be. The second piece that I wanna that that I wanna say is we need to, as leaders, also ensure that people don't understand the underpinnings of data, the models, and the understanding of the insights. That is so easy to be lost. And the more we're gonna automate, the more agentic AI is gonna be coming in, it's gonna be harder and harder down the line, the people behind us, to be understanding every single aspect. So we as leaders need to create a pipeline of being able to educate individuals and make sure that we bring the right people in the room, that we have the right policies, understanding of the right outcomes, thinking about what each decision and what is the consequence at the end and being able to predict it.

I think it's gonna be the biggest loss if we don't properly manage because then we won't know what goes in, how would the cake is make made, and then we're gonna see the outcomes at the end because we're gonna be rushing and not spending the needed time. So for any leader out there is invest in your people right now, make sure that they understand it, bring the experts, across different, areas because we need that constructionality, but also invest in the people coming behind us, behind your team members, the young people, because the knowledge will need to be preserved.

Otherwise, it's gonna be very tough for some of us in the future to really understand what these models are doing and the danger or the risk if not properly set up will be only increased. Thank you.

Absolutely. Great great comments on this. And I think, as as women, we have a unique opportunity to take a leadership perspective with AI in terms of, investigating and eliminating bias. We're in a unique position to see that. And I think it's, it's an opportunity for us to take a leadership position with that. So wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Okay. So our next question, we're gonna talk to Vitya and Bo about this and hear their insights. What's one thing leaders misunderestimate about building influence across an organization?

Who would like to start?

I can give it a shot. Yes. So, typically, when we talk about influence, we think it it starts with titles, it starts with the role and position within an or within an organization. But, one thing that I know for a fact has worked immensely for me is the true value of influence starts between those meetings, between those quiet moments between meetings. Right? Which could be essentially meeting your colleague, meeting someone in your circle of influence, where they are, just offering, or even just hearing them out. It doesn't have to be anything grand, in terms of supporting each other, but just giving them a listen is a fantastic way of building those much needed connections. And I think over time, what happens is these as leaders especially, you start seeing how those connections, your empathetic, approach towards problem solving, keeping it absolutely human centric.

And, of course, the clarity of thought becomes the foundation of what it truly means to build out that influence within your organization. That essentially means that at some point in time, you stop trying to impress people with your expertise and you start empowering others, with the clarity of your thought that sometimes what happens is if someone's if it gives them a leverage to use your idea, gain additional mileage in their vertical, go ahead.

Be my guest. But that also means that you now have an emotional empathy connection to me because now I become your trusted adviser. So that kind of subtle influence helps you expand your remit within the organization to a larger degree and helps position, yourself better in terms of the value chain. And most important thing that I cannot emphasize enough on is having that, you know, honed in communication skill. It could be verbal. It could be written. But making sure that you polish off your communication skills is a must have. And I keep talking about it, as much as possible to whoever will give me a listen because being able to position or market yourself starts out with having that strong sense of communication skill within you. And it's not necessary that everyone would have it, but it's only a question of time that you polish it to a point that you actually start seeing a difference.

Yes. Absolutely. I I think, Lydia, you are 1000% correct on this. And let let me build on this. If you ever go to a meeting, you can see who everyone in that room is directing their answer to, and that is the person that has the influence. It isn't always the person with the highest title. It isn't always the person that has the most seniority. It is usually the person that has the most influence, and that can be anyone. I've seen folks that are just analysts, for example, have that kind of influence. And it is 1000% correct. Part of it is communication. So you need to communicate your small successes. And we generally like to think of success and celebration as this big grandiose event where I am putting out something that is gonna change the lives of millions of people before I can say I've done something, you know, successful.

But you don't have to do that. There are small successes that you need to celebrate, and you need to do it in a way that is not braggadocious. And you need to be able to communicate that across the organization and say, I have met this. I have done this. Here is the result of what I'm doing. And always tie it back to a result, right? If you are a great creative, ideator, for example

Yep.

Like Lydia said, share those ideas and let somebody else take the credit for you. Obviously, don't let them just strip you dry of all of those ideas. But if you need to get in the good books of someone, right, you wanna get in there somehow, You can share one, and they owe you at that point. Right? Yep. You don't owe them. They owe you. That's how you start to build that solid influence on the back end. And so I used to give my managers, for example, my, you know, folks that I was working with that I needed them to win over. I would help them, with something that they needed, whether it was a brand new solution to a problem or whether it was, you know, a tool that they needed building that I can do. Like, I have skills that I can share, and it doesn't always have to be, you know, money, for example, or, something of that nature.

So this is where you just need to take a look at what are my skills, what am I really good at, what can I offer people, and then offer those up slowly as you build the right folks of influence that can help you? Then your influence is amplified, and the network is even larger. At that point, then your, successes become cascaded across that entire network versus just, you know, maybe you, your manager, or a couple of people in your team. So I want you guys to think about that as everywhere versus, you know, how do you scale that influence versus how do I keep it in my internal head and my internal team?

Agreed. Agreed. You know, influence is one of those things you can't demand. Right? I mean, you have to earn it. Right? And it helps when you, you know, are assisting other people, in what they're trying to accomplish. Right? You build credibility and credibility can also, extend your influence. So fabulous. Thank you. Real quick, we are running a little long and Eva, I know you have to catch a plane, so if you've got to jump, we totally understand. We totally understand. I have one more question that's for the, for the group, but I think it's an important one. So I don't really want to, really want to, eliminate this one. But looking back on your journey, what belief about success have you reshaped? And what perspective would you offer women who are following in your footsteps?

If I can if if I can start so I can head to to the end part. So so first of all, I would say is stay passionate. Find the passion that is and and really believe in it because it it does come in significantly when you are doing what you really love doing. And it sounds like a cliche, but in hardest points, if you really enjoy it, if you if this is what you feel, it's in your bones that you wanna be doing and you really love it, continue doing this. The next piece that I would say is a lot of individuals, especially right now, everyone wants everything very, very fast, very, very quick. Sometimes journey takes a longer time. Stay resilient, stay persistent, and stay consistent because I think that's what helps you. If you have a goal, don't be don't worry about falling here or not meeting a milestone, as early or on on time when you need it because your journey is only journey on your by yourself for yourself.

So so as long as you know that you are moving forward, you're learning, and you feel that the little bit of that fright, a little bit of that fear, but you are moving against it or instead of it continuously, I think that's part of the journey of the career professional development and working.

The last piece that I wanna mention before I part ways is also create your network, especially in the area of, in the era of AI. Interpersonal connections are so important. Vidya talked a lot about communication. But we our wealth is also defined by who is in our network and who do we associate ourselves with, whether you are you have leaders who are, who are helping you with your technology, whether they're leaders who are helping you with your presence, whether they are they are just peers that you are growing up in cohort.

Stay with them because these are the individuals who are gonna help you in the career in the places where where are gonna be the darkest for you. When you're gonna lose a job, when you're gonna be in transition, when you have to leave, they're gonna help you, support you, and ultimately, help you take the next step. But I would say for anyone, for all of the young women here listening, enjoy the ride because we only have one ride, and it's up to us. How do we do this? Don't compete. Don't don't think that you have to do certain things. Be authentic to yourself and really find the place that you love, find the passion, and go with that. So with that, I'm gonna sign off. Thank you so much for the wonderful event.

Thank you, Eva. Thank you for being here. Travel safe.

Thank you. Bye bye. Okay.

Alright. Any other thoughts on that? What we would share with the women following us?

I think the one thing that mentioned around celebrate your the small successes, that one I have definitely reshaped and and have done that. Thank you both for raising that. The other would be, you know, that success comes when you're fully ready. Like, I I would say to my younger self, you know, you won't ever be fully ready. So some of some of my most meaningful opportunities in my career really have come when when I stepped forward before I knew, everything was figured out. And that applies in career and personally. Yep. Growth doesn't happen after you're ready. You really grow through getting through the process. So I've learned, more about that, and I just leave that with you, with all of you. Thank you for the time today, but don't you don't have to be ready.

You just have to be willing to grow into the leader in the moments that really matter.

I think that's a great point, Tanya, because I I look at success like, what did I learn from my failure? Right? Because people just talk about success like being the thing that is just done, and it's great. But, no, all of the mistakes you make, you actually learn from. And there are some really interesting insights that ends up happening as a result of this. So for me, success is like all of the failures plus all of the great things that I was able to deliver because I learned from my mistake. And that's how we should look at that.

Love it. Absolutely. And and to add to all the fantastic points, brought up by the wonderful panel members here, I would definitely leave everyone with just a few points here. First off, don't self disqualify. When there's an opportunity, don't hyperfixate on being perfect, to Latanya's point. So let's not self disqualify thinking you're not ready. You are ready. Go for it. And be forgiving of yourself. It's absolutely human to make mistakes and even more human to forgive yourself. So absolutely go ahead and forgive yourself for all those mistakes. You didn't come in knowing things. You are learning pretty much like the rest of the world is. Flying by the seat of our pants is how we do things, so embrace it.

Yes. Absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you all of you for for being here.